Defense chief eyes Afghan troop levels

New Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Afghanistan on Sunday as the Biden administration weighed extending the U.S. troop presence in the war-torn country.

For the unannounced trip, Austin (photo) flew into Kabul International Airport, then boarded a Black Hawk helicopter to meet with officials including Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, The Washington Post reported. The Pentagon chief also met with U.S. diplomat Ross Wilson and Army Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, according to the publication.

The visit came ahead of a May 1 deadline for the roughly 2,500 U.S. troops still in the country to leave. That was part of an agreement signed with the Taliban last year.

While Taliban forces have largely refrained from attacking U.S. troops, they’ve been on a rampage against U.S.-trained Afghan forces, the Post noted.

President Biden last week raised the possibility of keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan, telling ABC News he was “in the process of making that decision now as to when they’ll leave.”

The administration is weighing a six-month extension of the troop presence.

On Sunday, Austin was noncommittal on the matter.

“There’s always going to be concerns about things one way or the other, but I think there is a lot of energy focused on doing what is necessary to bring about a responsible end and a negotiated settlement to the war,” the Post quoted him as saying.